RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/76 
3 December 2009 
 (09-6195) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Seventy-Sixth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 12 OCTOBER AND 3 NOVEMBER1 2009 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Servansing (Mauritius) 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. OBSERVERS ............................................................................................................................... ...2 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ...............................................................................2  
(ii) Further consideration of the requests for observer status by the League of Arab 
States, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf 
Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Internationale de la 
Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and th e Groupe de la Banque Africaine de 
Développement.................................................................................................................. ..........2
 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .........................................................................2  
- GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION 
(WT/REG222/N/1 AND CORR .1, WT/COMTD /N/25, WT/COMTD /66 AND ADD .1 TO ADD .3)..............3  
D. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672)............5  
E. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS 
TO LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES .............................................................................................6  
F. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ..................................................................................7  
- BIENNIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN 2010-2011  
(WT/COMTD /W/170/REV.1)...........................................................................................................7  
G. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT 2009  (WT/COMTD /W/171)....................................................................10  
H. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................11  
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the draft agenda for the 76th Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WTO/AIR/3420 issued on 15 September  2009.  He 
drew Members' attention to a recent notification by  Switzerland concerning its Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) scheme.  This notification of 7 October 2009, which had been circulated in 
document WT/COMTD/N/7/Add.3, would be consider ed by the CTD at its last meeting of 2009. 
2. The agenda was adopted . 
                                                      
1 The 76th Session was reconvened on 3 November to discuss agenda item F only. WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 2  
 
  B. 
OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
3. The Chairman  recalled that, at previous sessions of the CTD, Members had agreed to invite a 
number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad  hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These included 
the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Economic Co mmunity of West African States (ECOWAS), the 
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Inte r-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, the 
Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African Union (AU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the South Centre, the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations Environment 
Programme (UNEP), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the World 
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  He said th at, following the decision taken at the previous 
meeting of the Committee, the organizations had be en invited to the present meeting.  He proposed 
that the organizations be invited to the next formal meeting of the CTD. 
4. It was so agreed
. 
(ii) Further consideration of the requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Int ernationale de la Francophonie, the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Développement 
5. The Chairman
 said that at previous meetings, the Committee had had before it a number of 
requests for observer status.  He said that if there was no change in positions to extend observer status 
to any of those applicants, then the Committee would take note and would revert to those requests at 
the next meeting. 
6. It was so agreed . 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
7. The Chairman  said that he wished to provide Members with an update on the regional trade 
agreements (RTAs) notified under the Enabling Clau se that were to be considered in the CTD's 
Dedicated Sessions on RTAs.  He firstly recalled that he had indicated at the CTD's Third Dedicated 
Session on RTAs that the Chile-India Agreement could be considered at a Dedicated Session to be 
held back-to-back with the last Regular CTD of the year, if outstanding data and comments requested 
from India were provided in good time.  India had,  however, yet to provide the Secretariat with 
comments on the draft Factual Presentation.  In view of this, the Factual Presentation on the Chile-India Agreement had not been circulated.  Th e implication was that the consideration of the 
Agreement would need to be postponed to 2010.  Ther e would, therefore, be no more meetings of the 
Dedicated Session on RTAs in 2009.  Members woul d be kept informed of when the Chile-India 
Agreement would be taken up for consideration.
 
8. He also recalled from his earlier interventi ons that there were three RTAs involving 
non-WTO Members that had been notified under the Enabling Clause, and that would need to be 
considered by the CTD meeting in Dedicated Session.  These were the South Asian Free Trade 
Agreement (SAFTA), the India-Bhutan Agreement and the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement 
(PICTA).  With regard to the consideration of these Agreements, he said that th e data provided by the 
Parties concerned remained very limited.  For SAFT A, only data from Bangladesh had been received.  
No data had been received from the Parties to th e other two Agreements.  While it was still envisaged 
that the three Agreements could be considered in  a Dedicated Session of the CTD in May 2010, this 
would depend on whether the Parties to the Agreem ents were able to provide the data soon.   WT/COMTD/M/76 
 Page 3 
 
 
  - GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION 
(WT/REG222/N/1 AND CORR .1, WT/COMTD /N/25, WT/COMTD /66 AND ADD .1 TO ADD .3) 
9. The Chairman  recalled that it had been agreed at th e last CTD meeting that this item would 
remain on the agenda for the present meeting.  He sai d that he wished to report to the CTD what had 
been conveyed to him on a possible way forward on th is matter.  He recalled that, on 3 October 2006, 
the GCC Customs Union had been notified to th e Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) 
under Article XXIV of the GATT 1994 and the Unde rstanding thereon.  The notification was 
circulated in document WT/REG222/N/1.  The GC C Agreement was subsequently notified to the 
CTD under paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause.  This notification, of 19 November 2007, was circulated in document WT/COMTD/N/25.  
10. He informed the Committee that Saudi Ar abia had re-notified the Agreement under 
Article XXIV of the GATT 1994 and the Unders tanding thereon.  This notification, of 
6 October 2009, was circulated in document WT /REG276/N/1.  His understanding was that the GCC 
Agreement would be considered in the CRT A in accordance with the provisions of the 
14 December 2006 General Council Decision on a Tran sparency Mechanism (TM)  for RTAs, and that 
the conclusion of this considera tion would be reported to the CTD for informational purposes.  This 
process for the consideration of the GCC Agreemen t would be undertaken without prejudice to the 
rights and obligations of Members under GATT Article  XXIV and the Enabling Clause.  On the basis 
of this way forward that had been conveyed to him, he proposed that the item concerning the GCC 
notification be taken off the CTD's agenda. 
11. The representative of India
 said that his delegation had been following discussions on this 
matter very closely in the CTD, as well as in the CR TA.  In India's view, it was the prerogative of the 
GCC countries, which were all developing countries,  to determine whether to notify their Agreement 
under GATT Article XXIV or under the Enabling Clause.   His delegation welcomed the fact that the 
concerned Members had been able to resolve the matt er concerning the notification of the Agreement.  
He indicated, however, that this should not prejudi ce the rights of other developing country Members 
to notify their RTAs under the Enabling Clause, if they so chose.  
12. He referred to Section E of the RTAs TM, which dealt with the bodies entrusted with the 
implementation of the Mechanism.  He noted th at the CRTA was to implement the Mechanism for 
RTAs falling under Article XXIV of GATT 1994 and Article V of the GATS, while the CTD was to 
implement the Mechanism for RTAs falling under paragr aph 2(c) of the Enabling Clause.  In view of 
this, it was amply clear that if an RTA was no tified under GATT Article XXIV, the CRTA would be 
the body implementing the Mechanism, while for an RTA notified under the Enabling Clause, the 
implementing body would be the CTD.  His delegati on wished to ask the Secretariat whether or not 
the notification of the Agreement under th e Enabling Clause had been withdrawn. 
13. The representative of Egypt  said that his intervention under this agenda item was without 
prejudice to what had been agreed with respect  to the GCC Customs Union notification.  His 
delegation believed that there were some systemic issu es that needed to be clarified.  These related in 
particular to the dual notification – under GATT Article XXIV and the Enabling Clause – of an RTA between developing countries, with the indication th at the Agreement was to be considered in the 
CRTA while the CTD was only to take note of this c onsideration.  Part of the clarification required 
was on the procedural front, but part of it also ha d legal implications.  He  recalled his delegation's 
suggestion at the last CTD meeting that the Secr etariat could update its 2003 Legal Note on Regional 
Trade Arrangements under the Enabling Clause, as c ontained in document WT/COMTD/W/114.  He 
believed that a revision of the document would assist Members in clarifying the respective roles of the 
CRTA and the CTD in the consideration of RTAs, in particular since the establishment of the TM for 
RTAs. WT/COMTD/M/76 
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  14. The representative of China
 said that his delegation saw the compromise reached on the GCC 
notification as an exceptional case, which should not  undermine the rights and obligations of 
developing country Members – including the GCC countries – under the Enabling Clause.  In addition, it should not constitute a precedent for any other notifications  by developing country 
Members.  China shared the systemic concerns ra ised by India and Egypt on the dual notification of 
the GCC Customs Union, and encouraged the Chairman  to hold informal consultations on this issue. 
15. The Chairman
 invited the Secretariat to respond to the query from India.  
16. A representative of the Development Division  said that, at present, the notification of the 
GCC Customs Union under the Enabling Clause had not been withdrawn. 
17. The representative of India  said that, in light of the obvious systemic implications, and unless 
further clarity was provided, his delegation wished to retain this item on the agenda for the CTD's 
next meeting.  India also supported the request by Eg ypt for an update to the Secretariat's Legal Note 
on Regional Trade Arrangements under the Enabling Clause.  Discussions at the present meeting lent 
support to the need for an update to the document. 
18. The Chairman  said that Egypt's request for a revision to the Secretariat's Legal Note on 
Regional Trade Arrangements under the Enabling Clause had been noted.  He also proposed that the 
Committee take note that the GCC Customs Union w ould be considered in the CRTA.  The present 
item would, however, remain on the ag enda for the next CTD meeting.  
19. The representative of the United States  said that her delegation was slightly confused about 
what had been said under this agenda item at th e present meeting.  She was not sure whether it was 
the systemic issue of an Enab ling Clause notification, as opposed to a notification under GATT 
Article XXIV, that would remain on the CTD's agenda.  In any case, it appeared to her that a 
submission by one or more delega tions would have to be made for the purpose of placing a matter on 
the agenda of a Committee.  In this light, sh e did not see how the present item could continuously 
appear on the CTD's agenda. 
20. In response to the intervention by the United States, the representative of India  said that he 
had already referred to the RTAs TM, which made  clear that the CRTA would be the implementing 
body for RTAs notified under GATT Article XXIV, while the CTD would be the implementing body 
for RTAs notified under the Enabling Clause.  In the case of the GCC Customs Union, notifications 
had been made under both Article XXIV and the En abling Clause.  His delegation believed that the 
CTD needed to look into this issue.  It was for this reason that India had requested that the present 
item remain on the agenda for the CTD's next meeting. 
21. The Chairman  said that, as he saw it, the concerns raised related to the fact that the 
notification under the Enabling Clause remained.  He had not, however, heard any delegation object 
to the choice made by the GCC countries to no tify their agreement under GATT Article XXIV and 
have it considered in the CRTA.  According to  the process that he had outlined in his earlier 
intervention, the CTD would then be informed of the outcome of this consideration.  In that sense, the 
matter would in any case not be completely removed from the CTD's horizon.  
22. The representative of Egypt  indicated that a distinction needed to be made between the 
procedures relating to Members' consideration of th e GCC Customs Union, and the systemic concerns 
raised by some delegations.  With regard to th e GCC Customs Union, the CTD would need to come 
back to it once the CRTA had completed its considera tion of the Agreement.  However, this process 
in itself would not address the systemic issues that need ed to be clarified.  In light of the need to 
clarify the systemic issues, he suggested th at the present item remain on the CTD's agenda.  WT/COMTD/M/76 
 Page 5 
 
 
  23. The representative of the United States  said that Egypt had made a useful distinction between 
practical issues and systemic issues.  On the pract ical front, she said that the RTAs TM gave the 
Secretariat the responsibility to assemble the facts on a particular agreement, regardless of whether the agreement was considered in the CRTA or in the CTD.   With regard to systemic issues concerning the 
application of the RTAs TM, she suggested that these would best be addressed in the Negotiating 
Group on Rules. 
24. The Chairman
 inquired whether, in light of the US' intervention, delegations still wished to 
maintain this item on the agenda for the CTD's next meeting. 
25. The representative of India  said that his delegation was of the view that the CTD needed to 
discuss this issue at its next meeting. 
26. The representative of China  supported India's view. 
27. The Chairman  said that the item would remain on the agenda for the CTD's next meeting.  
28. It was so agreed . 
D. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672) 
29. The Chairman  said that the 14 December 2006 Gene ral Council Decision on "Transparency 
for Preferential Trade Arrangements" – contai ned in document WT/L/672 – invited the CTD to 
consider transparency for preferential arrangement s under paragraph 2 of the Enabling Clause – other 
than RTAs – and report back within six months fo r appropriate action by th e General Council.  The 
Council had since extended the deadlin e to its December 2009 meeting. 
30. He said that he had recently held a small-group informal consultation to take stock of where 
discussions stood on the establishment of a TM for Preferential Trade Arrangements (PTAs).  The 
proponents – Brazil, China, India and the US – had informed the group that they were close to 
finalizing a revision to their draft proposal, and that the revised proposal would be circulated shortly.  
As he had informed Members on previous occasions, he  intended to have the revised proposal – once 
circulated – considered in an informal, open-ende d CTD meeting.  He also recalled that he had  
informed Members that the Secretariat was in th e process of preparing a "mock" Factual Presentation 
of a PTA, based on the GSP scheme of the United States.  The "mock" had now been finalized, and 
copies were available at the back of the meeting room.  He expressed his hope that this document 
would help move the process forward.  While some  initial comments on the "mock" had been made in 
the small-group informal consultation that he had ca lled, he appreciated that more time would be 
required for the membership as a whole to consider  the document.  He would, therefore, invite 
comments on the "mock" at the informal, open-en ded CTD meeting that he would be calling to 
consider the proponents' revised proposal.  He believe d that the "mock" would be best considered in 
conjunction with the revised proposal. 
31. The representative of the European Communities  said that the "mock" gave insight into how 
the proposed PTAs TM might work, but also raised  a number of questions.  Some questions were 
more of a practical nature, concerning for exampl e the structure and content of the "mock".  There 
were, however, also some wider implications that w ould need to be explored in conjunction with the 
proponents' revised proposal.  He added that his de legation was interested in seeing how the factual 
guide – referred to in paragraph 7(b) of the curre nt version of the proposal – would look, as well as 
how information concerning a PTA would be reflec ted in the database on PTAs that was to be 
established.  Finally, he welcomed the Chairman's  initiative to call an informal, open-ended meeting 
once the proponents' revised proposal was circulated.           WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 6  
 
  32. The Chairman
 said that the "mock" was meant to serve as an illustration of how the proposed 
PTAs TM might work, but was not the main documen t under consideration.  It was the proponents' 
revised proposal which would be the focus of discussi ons in the informal, open-ended meeting that he 
would be calling.  He  reminded Members that he would need to report to the General Council on this 
matter in December 2009, and expressed his hope that the CTD would have come to a decision by 
then.  He said that he would continue to work with Members, and would also open up the matter for 
discussion once again at the last CTD meeting of the y ear.  This item would, therefore, remain on the 
CTD's agenda. 
33. It was so agreed . 
E. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS TO 
LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES   
34. The Chairman  said that an item concerning the Hong Kong Decision on duty-free and 
quota-free (DFQF) market access for LDCs had been on the CTD's agenda since early 2006.  Under 
this item, delegations had provided information on the steps they we re taking, or had already taken, to 
provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  Written co mmunications by some Members had also been 
considered.  He recalled that the CTD had to date undertaken three of its mandated annual reviews of 
the implementation of the Hong Kong Decision.   
35. The representative of Switzerland  referred to his delegation's GSP notification of 
7 October 2009, which had been circulated in document WT/COMTD/N/7/Add.3.  The notification 
concerned the provision of DFQF market access by Switzerland.  He said that his delegation would formally introduce the notification at the CTD's last meeting of the year.   
36. The representative of the European Communities
 said that he wished to provide an update on 
the EC's Everything but Arms (EBA) initiative for LDCs.  The EBA initiative, established in 2001, 
incorporated a number of transitional provisions concer ning the imports of bananas, rice and sugar.  In 
particular, duty-free market access was provided to  LDCs under a gradually expanding quota regime, 
which had now been terminated.  Therefore, from 1 October 2009, the EBA initiative granted full 
DFQF market access for all products – except arms and ammunition – from all LDCs.  He added that 
the EC Heads of State had, in September 2009,  invited G-20 members – which included both 
developed and developi ng countries – to put in place an initia tive similar to the EBA in order to 
support people in developing countries su ffering from the current economic crisis. 
37. The representative of Zambia  acknowledged the recent GSP notification by Switzerland.  She 
also recognized the support that the EC was providing  to LDCs through the EBA initiative.       
38. The Committee took note  of all interventions.   WT/COMTD/M/76 
 Page 7 
 
 
  F. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING2 
- BIENNIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN 2010-2011  
(WT/COMTD /W/170/REV.1) 
39. The Chairman  said that the Biennial Technical A ssistance and Training Plan for 2010 and 
2011 (TA Plan) had been circulated in documen t WT/COMTD/W/170/Rev.1.  He invited the 
Secretariat to introduce the Plan. 
40. The Director of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)  said that 
consultations on the TA Plan had been taking pl ace since March 2009.  Through these consultations, 
the Secretariat had made every effort to make the Plan respond to the requests that had been made and 
the concerns that had been raised by Members.  This made it a truly a demand-driven Plan.  On the 
basis of lengthy discussions with Members, some cha nges had been introduced into the Plan to ensure 
that the WTO's technical assistance (TA) activities were efficient and facilitated the building of 
capacity in developing countries.  He cited as ex amples the notion of progressive learning, and the 
efforts that were being made to ensure that all pa rticipants in a given activity had a similar level of 
knowledge.  Finally, he thanked the Arab countri es, the Caribbean countries, and the Central and 
Eastern Europe, Central Asia a nd the Caucus (CEECAC) countries fo r their understanding that, due to 
limited resources, three-month training courses c ould not be organized for them in the 2010-2011 
biennium.  It was hoped that all regions would benefit from the same regional training activities by 
2012.       
41. The Head of the Trust Fund Unit  said that she would present an overview of the Secretariat's 
cost estimates for the TA Plan.  She referred to document CRP(09)20.Rev.2, which summarized the 
financial implications of the Plan.3  The cost estimates followed the structure of the Products Matrix 
that could be found on pages 50 to 66 of the En glish version of document WT/COMTD/W/170/Rev.1.  
She said that the WTO, in the delivery of TA, was dealing with increasing and changing demands 
within the constraints of the available human and financial resources.  In light of this, the TA 
activities were being based on the needs formulated by the beneficiaries.  Cost-sharing arrangements 
with partner institutions in the organization of trai ning courses in the various  regions and sub-regions 
were also being implemented.  
42. Globally, the total estimated cost of the TA  Plan was CHF 30.4 million for 2010 and 2011, 
which was to be financed from the regular budget,  the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund 
(DDAGTF) and other trust funds.  TA activities to  be financed from the regular budget amounted to 
CHF 5.1 million for each year of the biennium.  She noted that the figures relating to the parts of the 
regular budget allocated to TA were provisional, pe nding the examination of the budget proposals by 
the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration (CBFA) and the approval by the General Council.  She added that the proposed regul ar budget funds allocated to TA were lower than 
the CHF 5.5 million allocated in 2009.  Geneva-bas ed training activities included in Chapters A and B 
were financed out of the regular budget, as were the majority of the national activities included in 
Chapter B.  The Geneva-based long training courses,  which originated in the 1950s, were still the 
WTO's flagship TA product financed from the regu lar budget.  Provisions had also been made for 
shorter specialized courses to be financed with regular budget resources. 
                                                     
 
2 The discussion reflected under this agenda item took place on 3 November 2009, when the 
76th Session of the CTD was reconvened.  On 12 October 2009, the Chairman had info rmed the Committee that, 
following an informal meeting held on 6 October, the S ecretariat was consulting with  Members with a view to 
taking into account some of their co mments on the Biennial Technical A ssistance and Training Plan for 2010 
and 2011 as it had originally been ci rculated (WT/COMTD/W/170).  In view  of this, Members agreed with his 
proposal to reconvene the meeting after the S ecretariat had concluded its consultations.    
3 The document was circulated during the meeting, and is reproduced in the Annex to this Note. WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 8  
 
  43. With regard to the TA activities that were to be financed from the DDAGTF, she said that the 
Plan's progressive learning approach would not enta il additional costs, since continuous emphasis was 
being placed on partnerships and cost-sharing arrangements with ot her institutions.  The regional 
balance, volume and scope of activities had been adju sted to better respond to the needs identified by 
the beneficiaries, but the estimated cost of th e activities contained in the Plan, and the requiring 
financing from the DDAGTF, had been maintained at  the same level of CHF 24 million.  This amount 
was identical to what had been asked of donors sin ce 2003.  In arriving at this amount, the Secretariat 
had applied the same standard cost methodology as in the previous years for calculating the cost of the 
regional, national and Geneva-based activities included  in Chapters A, B, and C.  The methodology 
used the standard daily costs per person for these activities, which were updated annually based on the 
actual costs incurred in the preceding 12 months.  Th e daily standard cost was then multiplied by the 
number of persons to be invited to take part in the event and by the number of days, in order to arrive 
at the total cost of a particular activity.  As the average rate of participation was never 100 per cent, a 
no-show discount of 30 per cent had been applie d to the cost estimates for 2010 and 2011.  The 
estimated costs of the three-month Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) included in Chapter A, on 
the other hand, had been based on actual costs incurred  in the previous year.  She explained that the 
cost structure of these courses were different fro m the other regional activities, whose costs were 
estimated using the standard cost methodology. 
44. On e-training, she said that the main cost component concerned human resources, in other 
words, the team running the online courses.  This cost element was included in Chapter F, along with 
the L-Posts and other short-term positions required to give the Secretariat the additional human 
resources needed to implement the Doha Deve lopment Agenda.  Finally, the cost-sharing 
arrangements with the WTO's partners had been f actored in, and the 13 per cent overhead charge had 
been added to arrive at the total projected cost of the activities to be financed from the DDAGTF.  
With regard to trainee programmes and internsh ips, the existing Netherlands Trainee Programme 
would continue until the end of 2011 thanks to the multi-year pledge of the donor.  It was expected 
that the internships for selected Members' missions in  Geneva would continue at the same level as in 
previous years.  These programmes appear ed under the column heading "Other". 
45. Finally, she recalled that, according to the Ge neral Council's decision on the operation of the 
DDAGTF, the CTD and the CBFA were to jointly supe rvise the Fund and be responsible for a process 
whereby they would:  (i) review and endorse the TA  Plan and its estimated cost;  (ii) recommend an 
annual target level for the DDAGTF to the General Council;  and (iii) keep the execution of the Plan 
under periodic review.  In this regard, she said that  she would report back to the CBFA on the results 
of the discussions in the CTD. 
46. The representative of China
 said that the TA Plan set out  a clear roadmap for the WTO's 
activities in this area over the next two years.  China was ready to adopt the Plan and to work with the 
Secretariat in its effective implementation.  He referred to paragraph 7 of the Plan which, inter alia , 
pointed out that one of the main challenges in exec uting the TA Plan continued to be its financing 
and, more specifically, ensuring timely and adequate le vels of funding.  In this regard, he said that 
China had recently contributed US$200,000 under th e Aid-for-Trade initiative, which was to be 
channelled into TA activities.  He encouraged  developed country Members to deliver their 
commitments in a timely and adequate manner so as to  ensure that the TA Plan could be implemented 
smoothly. 
47. The representative of the European Communities  said that her delegation fully supported the 
revised TA Plan as contained in document WT/COMTD/W/171/Rev.1.  She also welcomed the budget-related document that had b een made available to Members.  The budget breakdown greatly 
helped in understanding the weight of each of the planned TA activities, and to assess more concretely 
how the contributions to the DDAGTF would be used in practice.  The information would help in  WT/COMTD/M/76 
 Page 9 
 
 
  preparing contributions to the DDAGTF before the st art of the activities, thereby ensuring that there 
would be no gaps in financing. 
48. The representative of Iran  said that his country, as an acceding country, attached great 
importance to the wide range of TA activities provide d by the WTO.  Iran believed that the provision 
of reliable expertise to the acceding countries would, among other things, greatly ease the accession 
process.  He welcomed the forthcoming Geneva-bas ed seminar for all acceding governments, but also 
requested the Secretariat to seriously consider or ganizing a similar initiative at the regional level for 
CEECAC countries, given that 11 of these countries were in the process of accession.  He added that 
the CEECAC countries had missed the opportunity to benefit from an advanced trade policy course in 
2009, but hoped that they would be able follow such  a course in the near future.  This would help 
better harmonize regional and sub-regional activities for the CEECAC countries, particularly in view 
of their heterogeneity and different needs.  As for the different courses provided on a regional and 
sub-regional basis, his delegation believed that there was a need for a more equal distribution of 
training possibilities, in terms of both the topics and the duration of the courses. 
49. The representative of Bangladesh  said that his country was a beneficiary of national, regional 
and Geneva-based TA activities.  While Bangladesh had no problem with the TA Plan, he said that he 
wished to make a comment on the coordination pr ocess.  When the WTO requested nominations to 
particular activities, a communication was sent to the Bangladeshi mission in Geneva, which 
forwarded the request to the capital.  The nomination was then sent to the ITTC.  His concern related 
to the ITTC's procedures to respond to the nomination.   In particular, a rejection of a nomination was 
communicated to the Geneva mission, while the acceptance of a nomination was communicated 
directly to the candidate – without informing the mi ssion.  In spite of having had several discussions 
with the ITTC, the process still continued.  He wish ed to know what the problem was, and why the 
mission could not be copied on communications c oncerning the acceptance of a nominee.  He also 
wished to know what was the percentage share of LDCs in the 2010-2011 TA Plan relative to the 
previous one. 
50. The representative of Japan  expressed his delegation's hope that the TA Plan, combined with 
Aid for Trade more generally, would help developing countries build capacity to participate in international trade. 
51. The representative of Cameroon
 appreciated that the TA Plan demonstrated the importance of 
beneficiaries organizing themselves at the national level in order to gain full benefits from the 
activities.  
52. The representative of Burkina Faso  said that the TA Plan was a very clearly written 
document.  He hoped that donors would continue to  provide assistance to help developing countries 
build their trade-related capacity.  
53. The representative of Uganda  asked for clarification with rega rd to the application process to 
benefit from the outreach activities for parliamentarians and civil society. 
54. The representative of Nigeria  appreciated that the TA Plan was truly demand-driven.  He 
encouraged the Secretariat to liaise closely with mi ssions in the preparation of national activities in 
order to ensure that the activities requested  were implemented as soon as possible.   
55. The representative of Lesotho  appreciated the value of the in ternship and trainee programmes. 
He said that he would have liked to see more f unding made available for these programmes.    
56. The Director of the ITTC  agreed with the representative of Lesotho that the internship and 
trainee programmes were important, particularly for LDCs and for missions that did not have WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 10  
 
  sufficient staff to follow all the ar eas of negotiation.  He said that c onsultations were taking place with 
some donors on the possibility of providing more funding for this purpose.  On the question raised by Uganda, he said that the ITTC was working clo sely with the Information and External Relations 
Division (IERD) on activities concerning parliamentaria ns.  Requests for such activities could be sent 
either to the ITTC or to the IERD.  He informed  the Committee that, in addition to national activities, 
regional activities for parliamentarians were being planned.  He agreed with Bangladesh that the 
missions in Geneva should be kept informed of all decisions regarding nomina tions.  While all efforts 
were being made in this regard, he indicated  that he was willing to explore any scope for 
improvement.  On Bangladesh's second query, he sai d that there had been progress in the share of 
LDCs in the 2010-2011 TA Plan relative to the previ ous one.  The LDCs remained the priority in the 
WTO's TA activities.     
57. The Committee adopted
 the Biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan for 2010 and 
2011.  
G. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT 2009  (WT/COMTD /W/171) 
58. The Chairman  said that the CTD's draft annual report for 2009 was contained in document 
WT/COMTD/W/171.  The document contained the annua l reports of the CTD in Regular Session, the 
CTD's Dedicated Sessions on RTAs and Small Ec onomies, the Sub-Committee on LDCs, as well as 
the CTD's report of its work on Aid for Trade.  
59. He recalled that he had informed Members at the CTD's 75th Session that the Committee's 
annual report was being issued earlier than was usua lly the case.  This was in light of the Seventh 
Ministerial Conference, which would be held fro m 30 November to 2 December 2009.  The draft 
report before the Committee, once adopted, woul d be forwarded to the General Council for 
consideration at the Council's November meeting.   The General Council would forward the annual 
reports of all Councils and Committees under it to th e Ministerial Conference.  He added that the 
CTD's last meeting of the year would be held after the Ministerial Conference.  In order to reflect the 
CTD's full range of activities in 2009, an addendum to the annual report would be circulated for 
adoption by the CTD at its last meeting of the year.  The addendum would be forwarded to the 
General Council for consideration at the Council's December meeting.   
60. He observed that the draft report contained a number of square brackets relating to items 
under consideration at the present meeting, as well as at the 20th Dedicated Session on Small 
Economies and the 12th Session on Aid for Trade.  As part of the process of adopting the report, the 
square brackets would be removed, and the discussi on that took place at these meetings would be 
appropriately reflected in the report.  He opene d the floor for any comments on the draft report. 
61. The representative of the United States  indicated that it would be necessary to reflect in the 
final annual report the outcome of the discussion concerning the TA Plan.  She explained that her delegation had an interest in the Secretariat circul ating a budget relating to particular items listed in 
the Plan.     
62. The representative of the European Communities
 proposed that paragraph 8 of the draft report 
be updated to reflect the re-notification of th e GCC Customs Union under GATT Article XXIV, as 
contained in document WT/REG276/N/1.  He also asked the Secretariat to check whether the LDC 
Ministerial Conference organized by the Unite d Nations Industrial De velopment Organization 
(UNIDO) was indeed scheduled to be held on 3 and 4 December 2009, as was mentioned in 
paragraph 35 of the draft report.  WT/COMTD/M/76 
 Page 11 
 
 
  63. The Chairman  said that the comments from Members on the draft report would be 
incorporated, as necessary, in the CTD's final repor t.  He proposed that the Committee adopt the 
report. 
64. The Committee adopted  its annual report for 2009.4     
H. OTHER BUSINESS  
65. No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
66. The meeting was adjourned . 
                                                      
4 The report was issued as document WT/COMTD/70.  
  WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 12 ANNEX 
CRP(09)20.Rev.2 
WTO Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2010 – 2011  
WT/COMTD/W/170/Rev.1  
Swiss Francs  
 
2010 2011 Chapter Sub-Chapter Subject / Programme 
DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provisional Other Total DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provision
al Other Total 
A. GENERAL WTO-
RELATED TA 1. Trade Policy Courses (i) Geneva-based Trade 
Policy Courses   1,140,600   1,140,600   1,140,600   1,140,600 
    (ii) Regional Trade Policy 
Courses and follow-up 
(RTPCs) 4,600,000     4,600,000 4,600,000    4,600,000 
    (iii) Short Regional Trade 
Policy Courses and follow-
up  950,000     950,000 950,000    950,000 
  2. Geneva-based Introduction 
Courses     384,200   384,200   384,200   384,200 
  3. Introduction days     0   0   0   0 
  4. Geneva Week     475,000   475,000   475,000   475,000 
  5. Geneva-based topic-specific 
symposia   2,648,940     2,648,940 2,064,860     2,064,860 
  7. Regional and Sub-regional 
capacity-building programmes   3,487,820     3,487,820 4,159,120     4,159,120 
  6. Other Geneva-Based Support 
(Open Day)     10,000   10,000   10,000   10,000 
A. GENERAL WTO-RELATED TA Total 11,686,760 2,009,800   13,696,560 11,773,980 2,009,800   13,783,780 
B. SPECIALIZED AND 
ADVANCED TA 1. Geneva-based Thematic 
Courses     1,386,200   1,386,200   1,386,200   1,386,200 
  2. National Technical Assistance 
Activities (i)  Topic-specific 
activities 285,000 1,406,000   1,691,000 285,000 1,406,000   1,691,000 
    (ii) TA within the Trade 
Policy Review Mechanism 
Framework 332,500     332,500 332,500    332,500 
    (iii) Assisting beneficiaries 
in conducting Needs Assessment 0     0 0    0 
    (iv) WTO Reference 
centres and enquiry points 250,000     250,000 250,000    250,000 
  3. Regional Seminars (i) Agriculture (Ag) 589,680     589,680 589,680     589,680 
    (ii) Dispute Settlement 
(DSU)   368,550     368,550 468,650    468,650 
    (iii) Government 
Procurement (Plurilateral 
Agreement on) 387,660     387,660 469,560    469,560  
   WT/COMTD/M/76
 Page 132010 2011 Chapter Sub-Chapter Subject / Programme 
DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provisional Other Total DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provision
al Other Total 
    (iv) Non-Agriculture 
Market Access (NAMA) and other MA                         1,983,800     1,983,800 1,779,960    1,779,960 
    (v) Regional Trade 
Agreements    117,390     117,390 395,850    395,850 
    (vi) Rules  484,120     484,120 407,680    407,680 
    (vii) Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS)            611,520     611,520 611,520    611,520 
    (viii) Services 
negotiations; GATS               720,720     720,720 480,480    480,480 
    (ix) Technical Barriers to 
Trade (TBT)         538,720     538,720 393,120    393,120 
    (x) Trade and 
Development, S&D and Small Economies   363,090     363,090 390,390    390,390 
    (xi) Trade and 
Environment         615,160     615,160 313,040    313,040 
    (xii) Trade Facilitation           1,669,850     1,669,85 0 1,669,850    1,669,850 
    (xiii) Trade-related 
Intellectual Property 
Rights (TRIPS) 632,450     632,450 677,040    677,040 
  4. Advanced Training Programme 
for senior government officials    1,396,850     1,396,850 1,460,550     1,460,550 
  5. Intensive Courses on Trade 
Negotiations Skills   1,233,050     1,233,050 1,173,900     1,173,900 
  6. Outreach Activities    1,157,520     1,157,520 1,157, 520     1,157,520 
  7. Accessions   90,090     90,090 196,560     196,560 
B. SPECIALIZED AND ADVANCED TA Total  13,827,720 2,792,200   16,619,920 13,502,850 2,792,200   16,295,050 
C. ACADEMIC SUPPORT  1. WTO Chairs Programme   743,080     743,080 743,080     743,080 
  2. University Programme (i) Workshops for 
university professors on WTO Matters 232,960 50,000   282,960 232,960 50,000   282,960 
    (ii) National Workshops 
for Academics   160,000   160,000   160,000  160,000 
    (iii) Document 
Dissemination Programme 
for Universities   40,000   40,000   40,000  40,000 
  3. Support Programme for doctoral 
studies   129,600     129,600 129,600     129,600 
  4. Programme for visiting 
academics   0     0 0     0  
  WT/COMTD/M/76 
Page 14 2010 2011 Chapter Sub-Chapter Subject / Programme 
DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provisional Other Total DDAGTF Regular 
Budget 
Provision
al Other Total 
  5. Research collaboration   100,000     100,000 100,000     100,000 
C. ACADEMIC SUPPORT  Total  1,205,640 250,000   1,455,640 1,205,640 250,000   1,455,640 
D. TRAINEE 
PROGRAMMES AND 
INTERNSHIPS 1. Netherlands Trainee 
Programme        550,000 550,000     550,000 550,000 
  2. WTO Regional Coordinator 
Internship   210,000     210,000 210,000     210,000 
  3. WTO Mission Internship       550,000 550,000     550,000 550,000 
D. TRAINEE PROGRAMMES AND INTERNSHIPS Total 210,000   1,100,000 1,310,000 210,000   1,100,000 1,310,000 
E.  E-LEARNING 1. eTraining:  online courses   0 73,500   73,500 0 73,500   73,500 
  2. Self-training modules   0     0 0     0 
E.  E-LEARNING Total  0 73,500   73,500 0 73,500   73,500 
F.  OTHER PROGRAMMES 1.  St affing:  L-Posts and other 
Short-Term Contracts (i) L-Posts 3,500,000     3,500,000 3,500,000     3,500,000 
    (ii) eTraining HR req. 1,100,000     1,100,000 1,100,000    1,100,000 
    (iii) Short-term contracts 200, 000     200,000 200,000    200,000 
    (iv) TPRM HR req. 300,000     300,000 300,000    300,000 
    (v) Other consultants 100,000     100,000 100,000    100,000 
F.  OTHER PROGRAMMES Total 5,200,000     5,200,000 5,200,000     5,200,000 
Total     32,130,120 5,125,500 1,100,000 38,355,620 31,892,470 5,125,500 1,100,000 38,117,970 
Cost Sharing     -10,891,182     -10,891,182 -10,653,532     -10,653,532 
Overheads 13%     2,761,062   143,000 2,904,062 2,761,062   143,000 2,904,062 
TOTAL     24,000,000 5,125,500 1,243,000 30,368,500 24,000,000 5,125,500 1,243,000 30,368,500 
 
 
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